Between Birth And Death

Between birth and death

Lies the place of our struggle

Pain our companion

Yet through all this there is love

Lurking beyond our egos

Unconditional

Many strive to attain It

Though few ever do

Human temptation obstructs

Luring us with its promise

Left to our own wants

This incarnation is doomed

Destined to repeat

Maybe the next time around

We will find the purest love

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Meditation–Peace (Tanka)

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Meditation–peace

Exploring the hidden self

That lives within me

Something I had never known

But glad I finally found

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Sit Still And Quiet

Sit still and quiet

Breathe in its luscious silence

Feel it embrace you

Tell me, what does it whisper

Without so much as a word.

Perhaps love is it,

Love for yourself and others.

What you always knew.

Stifled by chaotic noise–

It has finally been freed.

Let it swaddle you!

Do not keep it trapped inside.

It is meant to give;

Not with great expectations,

But with the purest of hearts.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Living Amongst Stars (Haiku)

Living amongst stars

Pulled by the sun and the moon

Child of Heaven

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Lowly Water Drop (Tanka)

Lowly water drop
Once gone leaves a ghostly tear
Such are the tears of men
Waste not this precious lifetime
Make goodness your legacy

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Far and Wide, Far Beyond Horizons I’ve Looked

Far and wide, far beyond horizons I’ve looked,

Looked…looked until I glared at nothingness.

Staring straight into the gruesomeness of its face

It manages nothing but a hideous, jagged smile,

A chuckle from deep within its bowels born of hell.

I…what could I, a miserable wretch possibly do?

I am afraid, frightened of what I cannot see.

This monster is not deterred, I can feel its presence

Looming large over me, clawing at my sanity.

I can feel its steaming breath, hot at my throat;

Pulse racing, heart pounding, I tremble losing control.

Grasping the Book I raise it skyward

Screaming, crying, falling to my blackened knees.

Prostrate and bruised for a response, I wait

Yet there is none, no answer, nothing but silence.

Silence and nothingness are all that greet my tears.

I despise this hollow, sorrowful, lonely quest

Plagued with questions thicker than a locust’s swarm.

Nary an answer have I been offered all these years.

Appeasement through words written in an aged text,

My only comfort, based on a promise given in antiquity

I suppose this…this solemn promise alone,

Is the gift offered through

…Faith.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

I Am

I am–Nothing and everything

I am–Saint and sinner

I am–Man and Divine

I am–Living and dying

I am–Strong and fragile

I am–Love and hate

I am–Good and evil

I am–All of these things

For one cannot exist without the other.

 

Would you know the laudable in me

Without staring my indiscretions in the face?

 

Look within me to find the mirror of yourself,

All that I am is you, perfect and imperfect.

 

There is much for which I am not proud,

But I take comfort that I am who I am.

 

Just as it is fruitless for you to deny

That you are who you are.


~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

What Color is Blood

What color is blood?

Red as crimson to the dullest eye.

When stripped of skin,

What is left but muscle, sinew, bone

Held together by a thin designer suit.

At birth we enter the world the same way.

At death we return the earth each the same.

Why is it that we vandalize each other

Throwing names, bullets and missiles,

Destroying our sacred selves?

More alike than different is the human animal,

Though ego prefers to separate.

Look beyond the skin in all its wondrous glory,

Reach for the soul deep within

Dismissing the prejudice of our senses.

Honor our sameness in peace and love

Remembering the wisdom of the sanskrit greeting

Namaste’.

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

 

Harbor No Ill Will (Tanka)

Harbor no ill will

Make friends of your enemies

Though unnatural

Forgiveness is essential

To live a spirit filled life

So easy to say

In the right circumstances

Though hard to commit

Once anger has taken hold

Breathe deeply and let it go

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~

Humanities Walk

Humanities walk

Either joyful or a drudge

The choice of each soul

Living in the past

Wallowing in self-pity

Brings only despair

Drawing one into the blackness

Making the light of hope dim

Look at the present

Be thankful for all you have

See only the good

This will enrich your whole life

And grant you abundant peace

 

~~ Dominic R. DiFrancesco ~~